Saturday, January 4, 2014

This reminds me of when I was an elementary school
student at St. Attica’s and Sister Chuck Norris explained the “giving-it-up-for-lent”
thing. I couldn’t make it work the 1st year but caught on quickly
and was able to successfully convince my mother, for years, to refrain from
serving liver for dinner during lent.

Sandy, our mutt, was dismayed as I couldn’t sneak
the dreaded organ under the dinner table for at least 40 days (excluding
fish-Fridays).

I often wonder if those who make and keep a New
Year’s resolution are actually happy at their achievement, you know that
“be-careful-what-you-wish-for” thing.

I want follow up stories, let’s see the future
events to those who have determination and willpower, are they really happy,
fulfilled? Am I jealous?

When I was 17 our family moved from the inner city
to the country.

We had land, trees and fresh air. I loved it. My sisters thought the world had
ended.

A few weeks after we settled in, a family from the
city was able to find our home, unscheduled, and bring us a housewarming gift;
a beagle named Clint.

The story goes like this; their oldest daughter
joined some religious group and was way too busy selling flowers at the airport
to care for the pooch.

They made the offer in front of 6 kids whose family
mutt passed recently.

What could my parents do but say yes, since the
gift bearers already had my brother holding the leash, my sisters had the dog
food dish and the city slickers were already in their car, skedaddling away and
burning more rubber than NASCAR’s finest.

They “just knew” we were hurting for a little
puppy. Bye-Bye!

Almost immediately we began to understand just why
they could not maintain order in the neighborhood as a beagle has a few quirks
we never before witnessed in the mutts we formerly raised. Beagles like to run,
run and run. They are very independent, and can be warm & friendly but really
do not listen. They have their own agenda. You accept them on their own terms.

We actually moved into a small village, very close
knit with families who stayed there for generations. We were outsiders and the locals were very curious as to our
intentions and behaviors.

Clint certainly gave them much fodder for tongue
wagging.

A hungry beagle is somehow able to escape multiple
chains with cunningness greater than that of Hannibal Lecter. A hungry beagle
is able to sneak up and steal the bagged lunch of children waiting for the
school bus, not just once but multiple times.

In these days children are taught skills to be made
aware of dangerous strangers.

In my day the cry was “look out, here comes Clint”!

Mr. Kulp, our neighbor, certainly was not impressed
when Clint decided to acquire the last piece of his chocolate cake when he had
to leave his porch to go answer the telephone.

Clint was not just an eating-machine, he got plenty
of exercise when he de-leashed and chased cars throughout the village. He was
forever teeth-bearing; back hunched barking and growling furiously at the car
tire of the moment.

Villagers were furious; cries of “why can’t you
keep that dumb dog in your yard” were echoed throughout the neighborhood.
Petitions signed, complaints issued but Houdini the hound continued his rebel
ways. The “new guys” in the hood were
certainly all the talk at the volunteer fire company.

The reason why I bring up the story about Clint is
that he is reminiscent of what can happen when you get what you want. I always wondered what would happen if he
actually caught up with a moving car tire.

He eventually did catch a tire (or should I say the tire caught him) and subsequently has
been buried in my parent’s backyard for decades.